How targeting of desalination plants could disrupt water supply in the Gulf

"Bahrain has said an Iranian drone attack caused material damage to a water desalination plant in the country, marking the first time a Gulf nation has reported targeting any such facility during the eight days of the war between Iran and the US and Israel. The attack on Sunday comes a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in southern Iran was attacked by the United States."

"A desalination plant primarily converts seawater into water suitable for drinking purposes as well as for irrigation and industrial use. The process of desalination involves removing salt, algae and other pollutants from seawater using a thermal process or membrane-based technologies. According to the US Department of Energy, desalination systems heat water so that it evaporates into steam, leaving behind impurities, and then condenses back into a liquid for human use."

"While Tehran has not yet commented on the Bahrain attack, it has raised questions about the vulnerability of the Gulf countries, which depend on desalination plants for the majority of their water supply. Can water security in the Gulf be guaranteed amid a widening of military targets to include energy and other civilian sites?"

Desalination plants are critical infrastructure in the Gulf region, converting seawater into freshwater for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes through thermal or membrane-based technologies like reverse osmosis. Bahrain reported that an Iranian drone attack caused material damage to a desalination plant, marking the first targeting of such a facility during recent regional conflict. This attack follows Iranian claims that the US damaged a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island, affecting water supply to 30 villages. Gulf nations depend heavily on desalination for their water supply, making these facilities vulnerable targets. The military targeting of civilian water infrastructure raises serious concerns about water security sustainability in the region.

Read at www.aljazeera.com